Muslims all around the world celebrate and rejoice his birth

By Hassan Riaz, community pharmacist and teacher at Madni

Mosque, Halifax

My ideal is a man who was born in Mecca over 1,400 years ago. He was born in Rabi’ al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar, which this year commences in September.

Muslims all around the world celebrate and rejoice his birth and the message he brought. The celebration is known as Mawlid.

His name is the most-popular name on Earth, and his followers are more than two billion in number. He is the final Prophet of God and he would change the course of humanity forever.

Consider a man who never knew his father first-hand, hardly enjoyed the company of his mother, lost his grandfather, and then lost his uncle and dearest wife simultaneously.

Consider a man who lived to witness every single one of his children pass away in infancy save for one, and for his townspeople to then expel him from his home city.

Yet throughout all this, he persisted with matchless ethics. He rose from that abyss of negativity and became a fountain of mercy and empathy for people, animals, and plants alike.

Championing good treatment of people and generosity of spirit is his way. He was a loving husband, a doting father and grandfather. He would interrupt his Friday sermon to hug and entertain his grandchildren.

Those who were outcast in society and lived with mental health illness would approach him and he would listen attentively to their concerns in the streets of the city. His mercy was unparalleled. Whether this was in his emphasis of being kind to animals, compassionate with children, or the merciful way he treated those who ridiculed and hurt him, even when he was in a position of power as head of state.

He touched the hearts of the poor, the needy, and the oppressed; he was able to elevate these people to a level where they were able to be instructors for all of humanity.

His conduct and charter for human rights freed society from racism, upheld human dignity and the sanctity of life, and gave women rights.

In speech and action, he is the most honest. He wasn’t just well-known amongst people as an honest person – he was officially given the epithet of al-Ameen, The Trustworthy. Even his critics would declare that they had never heard him lie.

Despite the influence and followers, he accumulated over time, he never led a luxurious life. His simplicity and humility shone through in his daily life, he continued to live with the bare minimum of food, housing and clothing, and spent time serving his family and doing his own chores such as mending holes in his clothing and patching the soles in his sandals.

His daily behaviour has instituted a canon which billions observe every single day with conscious memory. No one regarded by any section of the human race as Perfect Man, has ever been imitated so minutely.

The more you know him, the more you love him. Peace and blessings of God be upon him.

I invite anyone interested in learning about his blessed life to attend a new lecture series we will be running at Madni Mosque Halifax, commencing Saturday, September 23 at 7pm and continuing every Saturday thereafter.

It’s open to everyone, is in English, and is aptly entitled The Healer of Hearts.